No UCL, no problem for new Blue Jay R.A. Dickey

Blue Jays-Mets seven-player trade

R.A. Dickey is officially a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The club completed a seven-player deal with the New York Mets to acquire the reigning National League Cy Young Award winner and signed the knuckleballer to a contract extension.

Doug Melvin was in his second year as general manager of the Texas Rangers in 1996.

He brought in his No. 1 pick, R.A. Dickey, and agent Mark Rogers into his office at The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, to gave them the news.

Dickey had not passed his physical.

Melvin was withdrawing the $810,000 (US) signing bonus the sides had agreed upon.

“I didn’t know whether to be mad at our scouts for not knowing or to be sorry for the kid,” said Melvin, now the Milwaukee Brewers’ GM, about the newest Blue Jay in this off-season to remember.

“Watching his face, I felt sorry for the kid. He was one of the top college pitchers in draft and didn’t want to go back to school. The news I was giving him was like slapping him in the head.”

Dickey had been a stud at the University of Tennessee, pitched for 1996’s Team USA along with Jays’ No. 1 pick Billy Koch at the Atlanta Olympics and was a Baseball America cover boy.

Rangers’ trainer Danny Wheat had seen the picture of Dickey’s right elbow, thought it looked odd and suggested the Rangers examine it. Dickey had blown out his ulnar collateral ligament.

“I knew he wanted to prove people wrong,” said Melvin, who made a sympathetic offer of $75,000. “He took it, the two of them didn’t even leave the room to discuss it, if I’m remembering. He wanted to go out and pitch.

“I said, ‘I’m totally sorry about this, but we can’t pass you.’ One minute he was getting $810,000 on a fast track to the majors, the next minute, the offer was gone.”

Dr. John Conway, the Rangers’ doctor, said he’d never seen a pitcher’s elbow without a ligament.

Surgeon Dr. James Andrews later examined Dickey, was unable to find an ulnar collateral and said he’d never seen anything like it.

“At the time,” Melvin said, “he was a medical mystery.”

Dickey made 33 starts with the Rangers, outlasting Melvin. His final one was April 6, 2006, against the Detroit Tigers, when he allowed six homers — two by Chris Shelton, and one each by Magglio Ordonez, Brandon Inge, Marcus Thames and Craig Monroe — in 31/3 innings.

Two years later, Melvin was with the Brewers and Dickey’s agent, Bo McGinnis, called.

“Bo said, ‘R.A.’s about to quit, can you let him pitch at home in Nashville (our triple-A team)? So (assistant GM) Gord Ash signed him and R.A. had a great year,” said Melvin, who recalled Dickey in late July on an emergency basis ... sort of.

The Brewers had a doubleheader in St. Louis. If they used their arms in Game 1, Dickey would start Game 2.

Starter Manny Parra worked six, then Carlos Villanueva and Derrick Turnbow an inning each before Francisco Cordero blew the save in the bottom of the ninth.

“I went to the lobby, told R.A. it was a false alarm,” said Melvin.

Chris Capuano started the second game and Dickey headed to Nashville, where he went 13-6, with a 3.72 mark to win the Pacific Coast League ERA title.

Melvin knew Dickey before he became R.(eally) A.(mazing) Dickey, one of only 10 starters to pitch 600 innings and have an ERA under 3.00 the last three years. Clayton Kershaw is the best, followed by Jered Weaver, Justin Verlander, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez, David Price, Matt Cain, Dickey and Cole Hamels.

And now the Jays have the Cy Young Award winner for the 2013-2015 seasons for $29 million, with a club option for 2016. Dickey was set to earn $5 million next season, so by moving John Buck’s $6 million salary to the Mets, the Jays are basically getting Dickey for free for a year. The Jays also get extra Can-con in the deal, as catcher Mike Nickeas, coming over from the Mets, is a Vancouver native.